Environmental Leader

Car rental giants Hertz and Avis are adding thousands of new, fuel-efficient hybrid cars to their fleets this month, USAToday reports.

Hertz announced that it is putting 1,000 Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrids into its U.S. fleet this month. They will be available at 50 big airport locations and in Manhattan. The company expects to have nearly 2,000 hybrids in its 410,000-vehicle U.S. and European fleet by the end of this year and 4,300 by the middle of next year.

Avis said it will introduce 1,000 Priuses into its fleet by the end of this month. The Avis hybrids will primarily be available in California, with some in the Washington, D.C., area, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

The moves follow a public relations initiative last week by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, highlighting what the company called its “unparalleled fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles,” which includes 3,000 gas-electric hybrids in the USA.

Hertz said today that it is donating $1 million to the National Park Foundation and, in recognition of New York City’s environmental initiatives, making a $250,000 contribution to The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.